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Friday, December 4, 2015

Former Asking Alexandria frontman Danny Worsnop: "I was strung out, high, hungover, and drunk all at once for a period of my life"

Former Asking Alexandria singer Danny Worsnop will release a debut solo album next year.

He wrote a series of posts on Instagram about his problems with drugs, alcohol and more. You can read some excerpts below.

He posted: "I would like to take you back. Where? The Grafton Hotel in Los Angeles, California. When? The winter of 2013 at around 4am. At that point, in that room, there was a young Danny Worsnop laid on a bed with his heart beating out of his chest, $1000 worth of cocaine running through his veins, and two bottles of whiskey in his stomach, shaking and trying to keep his eyes from rolling back into his skull. That night was, needless to say, terrifying.A couple weeks later, after a good system flushing and some rehabilitation, I'm back at The Grafton. I woke up in the middle of the night in a pool of sweat (not an uncommon occurrence at that point of my life), with a melody in my mind. I picked up my guitar, turned on my phone voice recorder, and proceeded to sing a song that spawned a vision to one day create an album that was unlike anything I'd done before. Something so personal and pure that it would break and rebuild me to write."

He continued: "When I set out making this record I made two rules; to write songs that were honest and true to who I am, and to ignore every rule and restriction the music business has created.I wrote the record in one week and recorded it live, raw, and real in my producers living room. I funded the entire project myself and oversaw every single aspect of its making. The artwork is by me, the songs were written and performed by me (with a little help from some incredibly talented people around the world), the videos will be both written and directed by me, and the final product will be put together by my hands.I've done everything in my power to keep this album honest and pure, and it gives me chills every time I hear it. I'm beyond proud of what I've made and cannot wait to share it with the world. These songs are a reflection of my soul, and I hope you all enjoy them. See you on the other side!"

He added: "I'm often asked where my music career began, and it's not something I've much discussed. At around three or four years old I started playing around with things around the house, making beats out of empty boxes, pots and pans, anything I could find. I'd be singing along to anything and everything and itching to do more.At age eight, I bought a cheap violin and started taking lessons, at nine the trumpet followed. Both went well, I've always been something of a natural when it came to music. A year later I was playing in the local orchestra, but still had an itch it wasn't quite scratching. Eventually I took up guitar and bass, and the rock began. I would take my amp into the corridors at school and blast out riffs until "the man" shut it down. I remained completely self taught, collecting my knowledge from playing along to records in my room.I never knew music was going to be my career, my goal was to join the military back in England and become a sniper. This only changed when first band started and the door to America was opened. I had met a girl from Florida and fell head over heels in love, the band gave me the opportunity to get over there and be with her. It was the morning before my flight and all was well. We spoke on the phone and said our "I love you"'s, I left and made my way across the atlantic. By the time I landed it had become too real and her feet got colder with each hour. She moved away and I didn't hear from her until years later. It was a heartbreaking time and it changed me forever.So in answer to the question, this was an accident... It was never my endgame, just one of many roads that was a part of a separate journey. A very fortunate coincidence."

"I was on a record shattering spree of debauchery and self destruction in 2009 after the great success of my first record and it (naturally) led me to Las Vegas. There, I could find all the various poisons that got my motor running and made all my issues I refused to acknowledge go away.I was strung out, high, hungover, and drunk all at once for that period of my life and it was not, no matter how well I may have sold it, fun. I wound up in the arms (or thighs) of a pretty little stripper for a couple of nights I remember very little of outside the drugs. We shook hands, parted ways, and didn't speak again. That is until about 6 months later when I'm contacted through a mutual friend on her behalf regarding a certain other person slowly developing in her womb.

After all the plans and desires to not see through the unplanned dive into parenthood, it seemed as if were going to happen. It was a huge realization and had an enormous impact on me mentally. She was a strung out heroin addict, I wasn't much better, if at all, and one of us were going have to be a parent to this kid. I put down the bottle, the bag, and everything else and ventured to better myself.It was during this time I was writing and recording my second album. Eight months into the pregnancy I get an email from the mother, informing me that the past month of sonograms and updates, had been fake. The baby had been stillborn at seven months from the relentless drug use and drinking.My heart broke. I fell apart and disappeared. I left the studio and didn't return to making the album for some time and was never the same again.That moment was the one in which the last crumb of faith in humanity I had vanished. It's taken me a lot of years to move past the hate and the pain that I had.Writing this album has helped me face and overcome so many wounds I had inside me that I was always too scared to even acknowledge.This creative process was the best therapy I could have hoped for and I can't wait to share the end product with the world."

About his debut solo album, Worsnop said: "For the past six months I have been working in relative secret on something very special, and very close to my heart. With the help of some incredible, and very talented people, I am pleased to announce that in 2016 I will be releasing my first album as a solo artist.It has been an emotional rollercoaster creating these songs, but the end result has left me humbled, proud, and more excited about a project than I ever have been in my life. Writing as deep and personal as I have on this record brought up a lot inside me from my years, allowing me to grow and move on from demons I didn't even acknowledge having. With my dark days behind me, I am beyond ready, and beyond excited for you to follow me on this journey."